Pillager Voters Pass $14.3 Million School Referendum

Residents in the Pillager area voted to pass a $14.3 million school referendum in the Pillager School District Tuesday.

The referendum consisted of two questions and both measures passed. The first question requested funds for classroom additions, remodels, and maintenance issues and the second requested funding for a new 350-seat fine arts auditorium. Over 1,200 people voted in the referendum. The first measure passed by 64 percent and the second passed by 52 percent.

“It’s been three years of a lot of work, a lot of meetings behind the scenes and different things to get to this point. It’s a positive day for us in the school. I’m proud of the message that we got out there and tried to get as much information to our public as we could, and it was a good effort by a lot of people,” said Pillager Schools Superintendent Michael Malmberg. “It was a good night.”

In 2017, a similar referendum was put up for a vote but failed by a 60-percent margin.

Also Tuesday, a $15.2 million bond referendum in the Pine River-Backus School District has failed. Voters there turned it down with 610 people voting no and 448 people voting yes.